Children

Children

When Troy ages up—in this case, I forced him to because I was bored of waiting—I get an alert that due to Seth and Holly’s awesome parenting skills, he gets a third trait! Had I just sat on my hands and let him age up without learning how to walk and talk, he would have still gotten a trait, but it would have been assigned at random. I gave Troy the Hot-Headed trait… I guess he’s a frustrated genius! Troy also gets to start using wishes and promises, although that’s a feature of being a child rather than any effect of Seth and Holly’s parenting skills.

The first thing Holly does when Troy ages up is buy him a bed, a lamp, and a couple accessories for the second bedroom. Troy is too old for the crib at this point, though she keeps it and the rest of the children’s toys, as she and Seth will soon start the process of having another child.

As far as Troy goes, he now has to attend school on weekdays. A bus will arrive in the morning to ferry him off, and he is able to choose a strategy while there, just like Seth can do at work. Troy chooses to Meet New Friends to help out his social meter for the first day, and will Talk To Friends for the others.

Troy will bring back homework every day. His homework is in his inventory, and he can give the Do Homework command from there. Homework is stressful for all Sims, even Troy with the Genius trait, so he asks for homework help from the newly pregnant Holly. If Troy doesn’t do the homework at all, his grade (which Seth and Holly can see on the Career Panel) will start to fall.

Troy gets a break from school on the weekends, just like real-life. However, Sunset Valley has a curfew in effect, so Troy can’t be out running around after 10pm. If he is, he automatically comes back home, and will presently cancel any orders to the contrary. Part of me wishes that the children could cause some mayhem late at night, but hey: at least this means they’re nice and safe.

Depending on your trait choices, children can start thinking about the future as well. If the combination of traits is a certain way, you might see a Lifetime Wish appear as a wish option. Unlike standard wishes however, if I promise this, I have no way of changing it unless I buy the rather expensive Change Lifetime Wish superpower. The game gives me a confirmation dialogue here, just to make sure.

Troy doesn’t see his until he’s a teenager, which I’ll get into in a second. He gets the possible wish to become Super Popular—that is, be friends with 20 Sims simultaneously. Troy isn’t yet sure what he wants out of life, like most teenagers, so he doesn’t commit just yet.